Directives

Directives are issued by the EU. Member states are required to implement them into their national law by a
prescribed date. This aims to ensure that there is equivalent legislation throughout the EU.

The most relevant Directives to Machinery users are the Directives which harmonise workplace health and safety
requirements. These have been in place for some time and are generally well known and accepted.

For manufacturers, CE marking Directives are the most relevant. CE marking Directives cover many types of
products and aspects of products, but by no means all products are covered by CE marking Directives. All
products offered for sale in the EU are covered by the General Product Safety Directive, but this is not a CE
marking Directive.

Q. What is the point of EU Directives?A. EU Directives aim to produce common requirements
throughout the EU to ensure a free and open market. CE marking Directives are primarily concerned with free trade,
not safety.

Q. How often are Directives revised?
A. Some Directives have remained virtually unchanged since their first implementation. Others, such as the
Machinery Directive have had major revisions.